The great heresy of the church today is that we think we’re
in the entertainment business. People
want to be entertained while they are edified.
Would it still be possible in most places to get people to attend a
meeting where the only attraction was God?
What
if we take away the cool music and the cushioned pews? What if the screens are
gone and the stage is no longer decorated? What if the air conditioning is off
and the comforts are removed? Would His Word still be enough for His people to
come together?
The
message of the church – the message the world needs to hear from us – is not, “Come
and have a good time”, “Come and be entertained” or “Come and find you best
life now”.
Christ
calls us to carry a cross; not to come and have fun in His name.
The
message of the church is the message of the Cross. Lest we forget, Christ’s cross was only a
source of entertainment to those who mocked Him as He hung on it.
“But
our methods are attracting and winning people!” some will say.
Winning them to what? To true
discipleship? To cross-carrying? To self-denial? To separation from the world?
To crucifixion of the flesh? To holy living? To nobility of character? To a
despising of the world’s treasures? To hard self-discipline? To love for God?
To total committal to Christ?
Let the Word itself do the
work. People are hungry. They are hungry for a diet of substance and
not candy. More of the Word. Deeper into the Word.
